St. Luke's College of Nursing

About: St. Luke's College of Nursing is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Health care & Population. The organization has 93 authors who have published 163 publications receiving 4352 citations.

Generalized Inverse Matrices

Abstract: Let A be a square matrix of order n. If it is nonsingular, then Ker(A) = {0} and, as mentioned earlier, the solution vector x in the equation y = Ax is determined uniquely as x = A -1 y. Here, A -1 is called the inverse (matrix) of A defining the inverse transformation from y ∈ En to x ∈ Em, whereas the matrix A represents a transformation from x to y. When A is n by m, Ax = y has a solution if and only if y ∈ Sp(A). Even then, if Ker(A) ≠ {A}, there are many solutions to the equation Ax = A due to the existence of x 0 (≠ 0) such that Ax 0 = 0, so that A(x+x 0) = y. If y ∉ Sp(A), there is no solution vector to the equation Ax = y.

Japanese translation and linguistic validation of the US National Cancer Institute’s Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE)

Abstract: The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) has developed the Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) to capture patients’ self-reported symptomatic adverse events in cancer clinical trials. The aim of this study was to develop and linguistically validate a Japanese translation of PRO-CTCAE. Forward- and back-translations were produced, and an independent review was performed by the Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG) Executive Committee and the US NCI. We then conducted cognitive interviews with 21 patients undergoing cancer treatment. Participants were asked to complete the PRO-CTCAE and were interviewed using semi-structured scripts and predetermined probes to investigate whether any items were difficult to understand or answer. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and a thematic analysis was performed. The data were split into two categories: 1) remarks on the items and 2) remarks on the questionnaire in general. Twenty-one cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or hormone therapy were interviewed at the University of Tokyo Hospital and the Kansai Medical University Hirakata Hospital during 2011 and 2012. Thirty-three PRO-CTCAE items were evaluated as “difficult to understand,” and 65 items were evaluated as “difficult to answer” by at least one respondent. However, on further investigation, only 24 remarks were categorized as “comprehension difficulties” or “clarity” issues. Most of these remarks concerned patients’ difficulties with rating their experience of individual symptomatic events. The study provides preliminary evidence supporting the linguistic validity of the Japanese version of PRO-CTCAE. Further cognitive interviewing is warranted for PRO-CTCAE items relating to sexuality and anxiety and for response options on severity attribute items.

Benefits of Peer Support in Online Japanese Breast Cancer Communities: Differences Between Lurkers and Posters

Abstract: Background: Web 2.0 has improved interactions among peers on the Internet, especially for the many online patient communities that have emerged over the past decades. Online communities are said to be particularly beneficial peer support resources for patients with breast cancer. However, most studies of online patient communities have focused on those members who post actively (posters), even though there are many members who participate without posting (lurkers). In addition, little attention has been paid to the usage of online communities among non-English-speaking patients. Objective: The present study explored the differences in peer support received by lurkers and posters in online breast cancer communities. It also examined the effects of such support on both groups’ mental health. Methods: We conducted an exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional, Web-based survey among members of four Japanese online breast cancer communities. In an online questionnaire, we asked questions regarding sociodemographics, disease-related characteristics, mental health, participation in online communities, and peer support received from those communities. Results: Of the 465 people who accessed the questionnaire, 253 completed it. Of the respondents, 113/220 (51.4%) were lurkers. There was no significant difference between lurkers and posters with regard to sociodemographic variables. About half of the posters had been given a diagnosis of breast cancer less than a year previously, which was a significantly shorter period than that of the lurkers (P = .02). The 5 support functions extracted by factor analysis were the same for both posters and lurkers. These were emotional support/helper therapy, emotional expression, conflict, advice, and insight/universality. When the support scores were calculated, insight/universality scored highest for both posters and lurkers, with scores that were not significantly different between the two groups. Among the 5 support scores, emotional support/helper therapy and emotional expression were significantly higher among posters. For posters, emotional support/helper therapy and advice were negatively correlated with the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Emotional expression, advice, and insight/universality were negatively correlated with the anxiety subscale for lurkers. Conclusion: We found that posters felt they received more benefits from online communities than lurkers did, including emotional support, helping other patients, and expressing their emotions. Yet even lurkers were found to gain a certain amount of peer support through online communities, especially with regard to advice and insight/universality. The results demonstrate that participation in online communities—even as a lurker—may be beneficial to breast cancer patients’ mental health. [J Med Internet Res 2011;13(4):e122]

Determinants of the place of death among terminally ill cancer patients under home hospice care in Japan.

Abstract: Although the place of death of patients with terminal cancer is influenced by multiple factors, few studies have systematically investigated its determinants. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the patients' sociodemographic, clinical and support network variables on the place of death of terminally ill cancer patients under the care of home care agencies in Japan. Among 528 patients from 259 home care agencies, 342 (65%) died at home and 186 (35%) died at a hospital. From the multivariate logistic regression model, patients who expressed the desire for receiving home care at referral [odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.19, 1.09-4.40] in addition to the family caregiver's desire for the same (OR, 95%CI: 3.19, 1.75-5.81), who had more than one family caregiver (OR, 95%CI: 2.28, 1.05-4.94), who had the support of their family physician (OR, 95%CI: 2.23, 1.21-4.08), who were never rehospitalized (OR, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.02-0.07), who received more home visits by the home hospice nurse during the stable phase under home hospice care (OR, 95%CI: 1.25, 1.02-1.53), and who were in the greatest functionally dependent status during the last week prior to death (OR, 95%CI: 8.60, 4.97-14.89) were more likely to die at home. Overall, this model could accurately classify 95% of the places of death, which is higher than other published studies. A clearer understanding of factors that might influence the place of death of terminally ill cancer patients would allow healthcare professionals to modify healthcare systems and tailor effective interventions to help patients die at their place of preference.

Factors influencing the use of antenatal care in rural West Sumatra Indonesia.

Abstract: Background Every year, nearly half a million women and girls needlessly die as a result of complications during pregnancy, childbirth or the 6 weeks following delivery. Almost all (99%) of these deaths occur in developing countries. The study aim was to describe the factors related to low visits for antenatal care (ANC) services among pregnant women in Indonesia.